Monstress Volume 5

I'm not even surprised anymore by how incredible each new volume of Monstress is. Volume 5, Warchild, is no exception. The story continues to progress, the plot thickening as the different factions have come to war. This volume was especially exciting, as several characters’ from different plot threads begin to cross paths. This volume is also heavy on character development, as we finally get to see what happened in Constantine. While Zinn is reeling from the return of some disturbing memories, Maika has gained confidence and begun to embrace what she is. Maika, Corvin, and Kippa make a stand to protect the city of Ravenna from the invading Cumean army. We got more revelations about the Cumea, and experience unexpected developments in almost every storyline. Kippa has been a favorite of mine since the first volume, and it has been fun watching her grow up over the last few volumes. The relationship between she and Maika continues to evolve. As compelling and complex as the plot is, my favorite element of this graphic novel from the start has been the gorgeous art of Sana Takeda. She paints every scene with vivid life, from the gruesome horror of war, to the depth of emotion conveyed in the expressions of the characters. Monstress is easily one of the best graphic novels I have ever read, and so far each volume only gets better as the story becomes larger and more engrossing. Worldbuilding, plot, and character development are on another level, placing this story in a class of its own. If you are a fan of epic fantasy set in an immersive world with a vast array of intriguing characters, and you haven't picked up the first issue/volume/omnibus of Monstress yet, all I can say is, *what are you waiting for?*

Love this book

I am so enthralled with this series, I had bought the first three volumes because I enjoy Marjorie M Liu's writing and I like comics, so I thought what the heck I'll give it a try! Oh my gosh. Love. I am so in love. I got Volume 4 and then five and six ASAP. I've pre-ordered Volume 7, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it.

My son loves graphic novels and this didnt disappoint! Fantastic graphics and storyline!

Lots of new little tidbits are revealed. Kippa faces and does terrible things. More secret weapons are used by the Federation. The Ancients are looking to be complicit in much more than shown so far. Most of the story involves protecting a vulnerable city from a Federation army. Lots of intrigue hinted at from Daddy Halfwolf. More about Marium and Zinn but I don't want to spoil that. The General is badass. I wonder what rpg system would work well for this setting? Trophy? Amber Diceless?

Interesting story lines, great characters, and richly drawn images. A creative world with lessons to teach us about what happens when we forget about being not just human but humane.

Series Info/Source: This is the fifth volume in the Monstress series. I bought this book. Story (4/5): Things are definitely escalating between the Federation and the Arcanics, this volume ends up being one huge war between the two groups. I appreciate the way the scope of the story has broadened but honestly this book jumps around so much it gets hard to keep track of what’s happening at points. I am beginning to think each volume is taking on too much; this started with the 4th volume. I enjoyed it, but am still a bit confused about what happened at certain parts and just don’t have time to go back and reread it right now. Characters (4/5): As with previous books the characters are very well done. However, a lot of new characters are thrown at you (strange nuns with explosive powers for one). Again, all the jumping around between groups of characters is already tough to keep track of and now there are even more. I hope that things calm down some so that we can see some more character development in the next volume. Setting (5/5): Settings are beautifully drawn and this is a very intricate and detailed world. No real complaints about this, this is a masterfully built world. Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): This remains an absolute stunning graphic novel series illustration-wise. Each page is a piece of art that is beautiful and detailed and just amazing to look at. The writing I am starting to have more trouble with. We are jumping back and forth in time (some time this is noted, sometimes it’s not) and between a lot of locations. It gets very confusing as to what is actually happening and I found myself paging back and forth trying to figure out what was going on. Hopefully things are tightened up a bit in the next volume and more characters and plotlines don’t continue to be layered on top of a story that is already starting to get too diffuse for this format. My Summary (4/5): Overall I continue to enjoy the beautiful art style of this graphic novel and love the world here. I really enjoy some of the characters but the number of characters is just getting way too big to keep track of. The story is epic in nature and jumps between scenes very quickly and most of this book is dedicated to a giant war. It got a bit confusing at parts and I kept having to go back and re-read things. I plan on reading the next book in the series but was a bit disappointed in some aspects of this volume. I just don’t like it when graphic novels start to jump between this many storylines, it diffuses the story too much.

Can’t wait for volume 6!!